Since returning from our move to distance learning we have seen a steady decrease in COVID transmissions at school and throughout Ramsey County. Over the past two weeks we have had less than 1% of our Community restricted from the building, which is great news! As a result, Community of Peace Academy will be transitioning to a Mask Optional policy until further notice.

Starting on Monday, March 14, 2022, face coverings will be strongly recommended, but no longer required on school buses and in CPA Pre-K-12 classrooms. This adjustment follows new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Things to note:

• This does not change our quarantine and isolation procedures for staff and students. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should still follow isolation procedures. Unvaccinated close contacts will continue to follow quarantine guidelines.

• Individual classrooms or the entire school may shift back to increased health and safety measures, including the return to required face coverings, based on our criteria for COVID-19 decision making.

If your child is sick, please keep them home. Have your child tested for COVID-19 if they show symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, severe headaches or new onset of nasal congestion or runny nose. Parents will be asked to pick up their child from school if their student shows symptoms listed above.

We have free at-home Covid test kits available to families upon request.

Monday March 14: Board of Directors Meeting, 6pm

Tuesday March 15-Friday March 18: Scholastic Book Fair in the elementary library (see below)

Tuesday March 15: High School In-Person Conferences (see below)

Tuesday March 15: Free COVID Vaccine Clinic for ages 5+ from 3:30-6:30pm (see below)

Wednesday March 16: The online auction opens for CPA's annual fundraiser, Light Up the Night (see below)

Thursday March 17: High School Virtual Conferences (see below)

Saturday March 26: Light Up the Night, CPA's Annual Fundraiser at 7pm. Online auction closes at 10pm. (see below)

Tuesday March 29: Middle School In-Person Conferences

Thursday March 31: Middle School Virtual Conferences

Ms. Huml, CPA Elementary Principal, loves the book The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen!

She likes this book because it teaches that your current circumstances do not have to be your permanent circumstances. There is always an opportunity to make things better and look at things from a fresh perspective.

Ms. Huml especially loves reading this book to her daughter!

On Tuesday, April 19, all CPA 11th grade students and select CPA 12th grade students will be taking the ACT exam. The ACT is a standardized test used for college entrance.

• Testing will start at the beginning of the school day. Students should eat a good breakfast and bring a snack (there will be a short break before lunch).
• Students will need to bring their school issued laptop to take the test.
• There are no personal electronic/internet capable devices allowed in the testing environment. Students should not bring a phone, smartwatch, fitness tracker, or any other internet capable device into the testing environment. Accessing any device during the day, even during breaks, will result in a testing violation and the test will be invalidated.
• Each student's first ACT exam is free (paid by the Minnesota Department of Education).

For more information, please visit the following links:

Teachers will be reaching out to families with the link to sign up for conferences. Our goal is to have 100% parent participation in conferences. A parent’s involvement in their child’s education results in positive achievement for the child. We know how busy family schedules become and we want to ensure that we do not miss out on this important opportunity to come together to discuss your child’s achievement.

Thank you! We look forward to connecting with you at Middle School Spring Conferences.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 26 at 7pm, and join us for an evening of fun! There will be games, prizes, and opportunities to connect with others who support Community of Peace Academy--plus, we will be raising money for a great cause!

Tickets to the virtual gala can be purchased at biddingowl.com/CPA2022 for just $10 per household. The deadline to purchase tickets is Friday March 25. Thank you!

We are excited to announce that CPA will be starting a partnership with Every Meal. Through this program, CPA families can register each enrolled child to receive a bag of food to take home each week. This program is entirely free and is open to anyone who is interested. We expect this program to be up and running later this winter.

There are 5 types of food bags available to suit your dietary preferences. On the registration form, you can see the kinds of food each bag contains and choose your preference.

Register here! We apologize that the link did not work in the previous Tiger Talk--it will work now. If you have any questions, please contact Chelle York (651-280-4509) or Sadie Fischer (651-280-4564).

If you prefer, our liaisons will be happy to translate or explain any announcements in Tiger Talk or answer any questions you have about CPA. Contact Maikao Lee at 651-280-4545 (Hmong), Mariana Majil at 651-289-3742 (Spanish), or Paw Nay Bu at 651-280-4591 (Karen) for support.